Look Who Dropped by Today: Danielle Doolittle

I’d like to Welcome Danielle Doolittle to the Living the Dream Blog, the second day stop of her month-long blog tour for her novel, Royal Pain. This is Danielle’s debut novel, and we wish her well.

Don’t forget to check into your chance to win a copy of Royal Pain at the end of this blog. 

Danielle has a few thoughts to share with you today about the dreaded rejection. The floor is yours!

Thanks for having me..

For all of my fellow writers out there you understand the heart-retching, soul-killing, devastation of finally finding an email in your inbox, after waiting anxiously to hear back from the publisher/agent of your dream, only to open it to something like this:

 Dear Ms Author,

I would like to thank you for the opportunity to review your manuscript. Unfortunately at this time it is not a right fit for us at this time so I will have to pass.

Please remember that while your story does not work for us, publishing is a very subjective business.

 Best of luck to you,

R. VonEditor

 Sound familiar? Have you reaching for the chocolate and wine? We’ve all been crushed by the heavy weight of the rejection email. Even worse the form rejection email. I sent my debut novel Royal Pain to many publisher and agents before getting that magical “yes”. So how do you keep on keeping on? Here’s a few tips that help me get through the minefield of publishing:

 member that the world of publishing requires you to have very thick skin. People are going to tell you no. Often. You can’t take every rejection as a personal attack. Editors and agents understand that your story is your baby. You grew it from nothing more than an idea and flushed it out into thousands of words of amazing. They get it. But that doesn’t mean they have to offer you a contract.

 Remember what that last line said? Publishing is subjective. Each individual agency, or publisher or even agent and editor for that matter, is looking for something specific. They are after what they see as the holy grail of their genre/wish list and they won’t take anything less. So your story isn’t right for publisher A, that still leaves B, C, D….you get the picture. KEEP SUBMITTING.

 on’t look at rejections as a defeat. Look at them as a tool. Motivation. Badges of honor in the battle of publication. Sometimes we get lucky and an editor or agent will do the unthinkable and offer a golden nugget of advice in their rejection. Offer you a reason for their denial of your story. Take that reason and apply it to your manuscript. It’s free professional advice on the direction/structure/plot of your story why wouldn’t you use it?

 Give yourself one day to grieve. The day you open that dreaded email let yourself feel it. You have 24 hours to wallow in your pity and chocolate (or your particular brand of vice) and that’s it. The next day brush it off and send out another query.

 Find a writing group. It can be one that meets weekly at your local library or an online thing. Just find people who will understand your pain and push you to keep going even when you want to tackle a whole bottle of wine with nothing but a crazy straw and your disappointment. Trust me they’ll have your back and make you face the keyboard the next day and write that next query letter.

 It’s not always easy, I have to remind myself every time I send a new query out to breathe and remember each of these tips. It doesn’t get any easier after your first, second or third “yes” to offer your work on the altar of publication. It’s still terrifying. But we do it because we must. Because the stories we write need to be told. And sometimes we get very lucky and find someone who will help us along the way.

  

About Royal Pains

 Falling in love can be a royal pain.

A cocktail of sex, booze, and breakneck speeds is what sends Prince Henry of Benignus into rehab. He’s expecting to skip out on lectures and smoke behind the shed. He’s not expecting Carleigh.

Carleigh Philips knows Henry is trouble. His bad-boy attitude reeks of self-importance and over-indulgence. She’s not expecting him to lift a royal finger during his time at the ranch. She’s not expecting him to be a threat to her heart.

When Carleigh’s life is on the line, will Prince Henry step up to the plate? Or will he prove he really is nothing but a phony royal pain?

Excerpt from Royal Pain “All rise. The Honorable Judge Freeland presiding.”

The bailiff’s voice caused Henry’s brain to ricochet against his skull. He was slow to gain his feet as an elderly man in a billowing, black robe walked briskly from a doorway set to the side of the room. Henry watched his bald head reflect the light as he took his seat at the bench.

The sooner this little show was over, the sooner he could find his car and get back to Chicago. His brother was expecting him. While he wasn’t looking forward to the idea of dealing with official state business, Henry found he actually missed Alexei. Must have been the hangover.

He hadn’t been home in six months. Not since they’d issued him the ultimatum. It was either change his ways on his own, or his family had resolved they would do it for him. He knew how they wished to solve what they perceived as his problem, so Henry packed up and headed to America. Here, his only official business involved deciding which party to attend and who he was taking back to the hotel with him afterward.

“What have you to say for yourself?” The old judge’s gravelly voice made Henry realize he should have been paying attention.

“Sorry?”

“I said, after your actions last night, what do you have to say for yourself?”

“I can honestly say, sir, that I sorely regret having to take the jobs of all the night staff at the Hilton for allowing me to leave the hotel in such a condition. So if you will let me be on my way, it would seem I have some business to attend to. And I assure you, after today, you will never have to see my face again. Now, if I could be on my way?”

“Hold it right there, son.” Steel had worked its way into Judge Freeland’s voice. “I know who you are, and I believe you expect it will allow you to walk away from this without feeling any repercussions. I’m here to tell you, young man, that in that assumption, you are very wrong.”

Henry felt himself shift under the weight of the old judge’s glare.

“You will find that we treat all offenders equally here in Sweetwater. You have quite a list of offenses: DUI, assaulting an officer, public nudity.”

Public what?

“Now, see here!” Henry was outraged. Who did this backwater, sorry excuse for a judge think he was? Henry was royalty, nobility. Granted, he was currently on the outs with the family, but that didn’t change anything. He was entitled to a standard of treatment, and this old man was about to get a lesson in etiquette.

“Before you can launch into how I have offended your noble lineage, Your Highness, you should know that the District Attorney has been in contact with your embassy in Chicago. The royal family has been made abreast of our office’s suggested sentencing and has fully backed it.”

What? Those nosey diplomats never bothered to stick their noses in his business before. Why start now?

“While I cannot pass a ruling on someone with diplomatic immunity such as you, I do have this message.” Pulling a crisp sheet of paper from the manila folder he had carried into the room, the old man cleared his throat before continuing. “It is the decision of the Kingdom of Benignus that Prince Henry Xavier Bartholomew Reginald Fitzgerald be sentenced to thirty days in supervised detox at Mount Mercy Rehabilitation, followed by six months at Sweetwater Creek Ranch and completion of their sober living program. If he does not comply with our stipulations, steps will be taken to strip him of his immunity, and we will not interfere with any who wish to prosecute him for his transgressions.”

“What?”

“I believe, despite that splitting headache I’m sure you are suffering, you heard me clearly. Thirty days at Mount Mercy, six months at Sweetwater Creek, and completion of the program or jail.

You can buy Royal Pain at:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HQ4UI7S/ref=tsm_1_fb_lk

and from other e-book distributors soon.

You can add Royal Pain to your to-read list on Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18723226-royal-pain

 About the Author:

With a bachelor’s degree in English, Danielle has always had a passion for the written word. Initially starting out to be a high school teacher, she soon realized writing was her calling. Danielle lives in Ohio with her family. When she’s not writing (which is rare) she’s spending time with her husband, wrangling two rambunctious boys and one rowdy little girl, and baking like she’s on Cupcake Wars.  
Danielle enjoys copious amounts of coffee and dark chocolate, chatting on Twitter, and a good love story. Oh, and an Alpha hero is a must!

You can find and contact Danielle here: 

Twitter::https://twitter.com/elledoo

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/daniellewrites

Website:http://danielledoolittle.weebly.com/

There is a tour wide giveaway for the blog tour of Royal Pain. These are the prizes you can win: 

- a grand prize goodie bag including a handmade bookmark, 3 3×4 magnets, a Royal Pain deck of cards and a tote bag.
– 2 e-copies of Royal pain,

Enter the raffle at: 

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/1000e454/